


A Little Piece of Home to Take With You

by Bouzingo



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: All-Nite Midnite Diner, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Carlos the Baker, F/F, M/M, Night Vale is still weird, Strexcorp, The White Sand Ice Cream Shoppe, Trans Female Character, blatant twin peaks and pushing daisies refs, but also a really good place for food
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-17
Updated: 2014-03-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 23:26:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1204441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bouzingo/pseuds/Bouzingo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos doesn't anticipate staying in Night Vale for very long, no matter how many foodies might swear by it as a curious oasis in the desert. A year working in the coffeeshop near the Museum of Forbidden Sciences is a Golden Ticket to any culinary avenue of life. But the sweet town and the sweet man who runs the cafe are especially sweet on him.</p><p>Lucy doesn't think he'll stay. Hannah has twenty dollars saying he does. In other news, bloodstone ice cream was actually a pretty bad idea in practice.</p><p>Dana and Vithya are in the fourth year of their continued, half-joking flirtation. Will a summer working at the Midnite All-Nite Diner finally push them in the right direction?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Piece of Home to Take With You

Honestly, after the first few nights of existential crisis and half-packing to leave the insanity as soon as he can, Carlos finds Night Vale has a nice small town vibe that he can really get into. The radio switches on of its own accord every morning at precisely 9:30, and Leonard Burton, in his squeaky, flutey tones, calmly suggests he bring a strong umbrella on his way out, because there have been showers of rocks lately, nothing unexpected for a sunny day in the middle of May.

There's only a little bit of gravel from the sky as Carlos drives over to the market square. Unlike the other three times he's come by, there's produce that he can actually see today. John Peters the farmer is there and waves him over.

"Hey there baking guy," he says. "Usually I let the couple from the ice cream place have first dibs on fresh peaches, but you... you've got promise."

Carlos looks at the stand skeptically, expecting empty baskets of imaginary peaches, but to his surprise there is actually fruit he can see and ostensibly use in a tart.

"How about that, eh?" John Peters says with a grin.

"How do you get a good crop of peaches in the middle of the desert?" Carlos asks.

"Well, it's a long story, and I doubt that an outsider would really appreciate it," John Peters huffs. "Is ten dollars for a basket fair?"

"More than fair," Carlos says, digging through his wallet. His car starts smelling of peaches as soon as he places the basket in his car.

The Night Vale Coffee and Bookshop is about a ten minute drive. Carlos notices with some regret that there are star-shaped breaks in the storefront windows from the rock showers.

Cecil is already inside, setting up tables and fiddling with the new flower arrangements. He's wearing a flowery sundress and acid green ballet flats that actually look quite comfortable. Acid green seems to be the flavour of the day; he's got a few ribbons in his hair that are the same shade.

"Good morning," Carlos says, "I bought peaches from John Peters. You know, the farmer?"

"That's great. I hear he's had a great season this year," Cecil says. "Last season he tried oranges and that just didn't work out."

"Well, oranges aren't native to these parts," Carlos says absently, before he realizes that neither are peaches, really. "I'm going to make some tarts for today's special."

"That sounds wonderful," Cecil says with a wide grin, and turns to get more flowers for the rest of the tables.

Carlos didn't go to culinary school for this. Night Vale is a quaint town and a popular destination for foodies nationwide, but Carlos has wider aspirations, dreams of his own bakery some place where he can see the ocean. People like Cecil are content in small towns. Carlos lived in a small town for most of his youth and hated it. Getting beat up for smart, gay, and dark-skinned nearly every day at his tiny high school was enough for him to want to move somewhere bigger.

And even though there's no fear of that in Night Vale, it's enough for Carlos to get antsy nearly every day, for anxiety to gnaw at his insides for no good reason apart from the past.

He can't wait to leave.

* * *

The uniform sags a bit in the chest area. Vithya sighs and makes a mental note to alter it when she gets home tonight.

"You're hesitating?" Dana says. She fills the uniform just fine, the mint green and white stripes complimenting her ample curves.

"The pinstripes make it look like I have tits, I guess," Vithya says, examining her side figure in the mirror. "Maybe I should have just gone with the dress shirt. This looks weird."

"I think you look great already," Dana says. "And once we go shopping for a proper bra, and alter your dress, you'll look even better."

Vithya smiles, and leans over to hug Dana. Vithya grew up tall like her father, and the comfy wedge heels only add to her height compared to Dana, who's always been short.

"You're a great friend," she says, "Thanks for sticking with me this year."

"You big bowl of sugar," Dana says. "Like I could do anything else."

The Midnite All-Nite Diner has good pie. This is widely agreed upon. Nobody's very sure about anything else at the Midnite All-Nite Diner, except the waitress turnover rate is on the wrong side of radio station intern. Dana has aspirations toward community radio, and sees her job here as a stepping stone towards that goal.

Vithya doesn't know what she's going to do. She spent the last year focusing on her transition, and her grades. Now that she's a visible young lady with straight As she can't think of anything else she wants to achieve.

While Dana takes orders for the dapper gentleman who always orders coffee and their cherry pie at the counter, Vithya starts writing the specials on the board. Rita is standing there, like always, rooted to the ground. She's growing blueberries from her shoulders right now, out of season apple blossoms sprouting where her ears used to be. Vithya says hi and a couple apple petals fall when Rita signs a greeting back.

It'll be months before they have apples for pie.

 

* * *

 

Cecil comes into the White Sand Ice Cream Shoppe with a couple cups of coffee and a smile in the corner of his mouth.

"Hey Cecil!" Lucy says with a grin.

"Good afternoon, Lucy," he chirps, setting the travel cups down on the counter. "Can I have a scoop of the red velvet? I hearsay it's very good."

"Sure thing!" Lucy says. "White chocolate chunks added in?"

"That sounds great," Cecil says, and sits down.

Lucy Gutierrez is cheery, round, and shining. Her clever hands are connected to arms like tree trunks. She likes her coffee nearly not coffee at all, just hot milk and whipped cream.

 The shop's pretty quiet this time of day, and it's only a half hour before closing; Lucy sits down with Cecil to drink her coffee and catch up.

"How's Hannah doing?" Cecil asks.

"Oh, she'll be out and about soon enough," Lucy sighs. "Dr. Thurgood managed to reattach the fingers."

"That's great news!" Cecil says. "Give her my love."

"I'll give her your coffee instead," Lucy grins. "I've seen how you look at that new baker of yours."

"Am I so transparent?"

Cecil abashedly runs his fingers through his hair.

"It couldn't be more obvious if you were broadcasting it on the radio, Palmer," Lucy laughs, drinks from her coffee, which is already mostly cooled down from all the dairy. "He's definitely cute, I'll give you that. But he's also an outsider. They usually go on to other things after a couple months in Night Vale."

"But have you tried his baking?" Cecil says. "That is Night Vale baking. There hasn't been a baker like that in these parts for ages, Lucy. I think he'll stay."

"So does my wife," Lucy says. "She has ten dollars riding on it."

"Good to know there are still some romantics in this town," Cecil teases, and finishes his ice cream. "Do you need help closing up?"

"I think I'll be okay," Lucy says. "You’d better get back to the shop. The Sheriff’s Secret Police must be changing guard soon.”

Cecil nods and gets up to leave. Lucy smiles to herself, and takes another sip of coffee.

 


End file.
